Though the chilly weather forced the celebration inside, representatives from the Midland Downtown Development Authority and the City of Midland were still able to celebrate Tuesday the modernization of downtown Midland.

A ribbon-cutting ceremony commemorating the second anniversary of the downtown Midland streetscape renovation project took place inside The H Hotel.

The main streetscape project of widening and replacing sidewalks downtown was completed at the end of November 2017. Specialty seating, outdoor fireplaces and decorative pergola structures have since been added.

"The finished product today is the culmination of two years of planning, community engagement and outside-the-box thinking, and even some trial-and-error along the way," said David Kell, Midland Downtown Development Authority chair. "Not only did this project set the stage for an exciting next chapter in the future of downtown Midland, it also perfectly displayed the generous, community-minded spirit that makes Midland such a special place to live."

Kell gave special thanks to the Midland philanthropic community, from which donations covered costs so the renovation was funded with no extra debt or tax burden to the downtown community.

"That is not something that happens in many communities," Kell said. "We are incredibly fortunate to have a strong support system here in Midland."

Bobbie Arnold, president and CEO of the Charles J. Strosacker Foundation, recalled something former city manager Jon Lynch had told her about the downtown area of a city being the community's "front porch." Mayor Maureen Donker agreed with Lynch's assessment.

"The downtown is a community's front porch -- it's were we gather to have conversations, its where we create memories (and) its where we experience that incredible sense of belonging," Donker said.

Other speakers at the ceremony included Selina Tisdale, City of Midland Community Affairs director and DDA executive director; Midland Business Alliance president and CEO Tony Stamas; Bill Schuette, Rollin M. Gerstacker Foundation vice president and former Michigan attorney general; and Lisa Gerstacker of the Rollin M. Gerstacker Foundation.

Mike Whiting Jr., president of the Herbert H. & Grace A. Dow Foundation, also spoke about his organization's involvement with the project, and performed the ribbon-cutting with the ceremonial scissors.